Since 1985, after seeing the unique needs of homeless women in Chicago, Deborah’s Place has provided services to ensure that local women have clean, safe, and affordable housing. The organization includes employment programs and on-site health clinics at all 3 facilities and is currently providing permanent, interim, and safe haven housing for women of all ages and abilities.

Their mission statement:

“Deborah’s Place opens doors of opportunity for women who are homeless in Chicago. Supportive housing and services offer women their key to healing, achieving their goals and moving on from the experience of homelessness.”

We are so honored to be associated with this amazing organization! Knowing that this year’s finale performance will likely garner the largest audience the Chicago LTYM show has ever had means that we should be able to donate our largest charitable check to date. The thought of that gives us a thrill I cannot describe…

The clock is ticking to the submission period. Do NOT wait because this is it; the last chance to take a chance and make a difference on the Chicago stage. Everyone has a story to tell and we want to hear yours!

Remember the details:

1. IMPORTANT: Each piece must fall between 3-5 minutes when read aloud. This is approximately 2 pages, but will vary widely depending on format, content, and speaking style. PLEASE PRACTICE BEFORE SUBMITTING and edit appropriately to achieve the desired time. (Note: we cannot emphasize how important the time of your essay is. It’s okay if it’s a little over five minutes, but if it’s way over then your chances of being selected for the show will likely decrease.)

2. The main theme of your piece must fall within the topic of “motherhood.” Any true story about any aspect of motherhood is great! If you’re unsure whether the MAIN theme of your essay is motherhood, please read it to a friend or two and ask them! If your friends tell you that the main theme of your essay seems to be “overcoming a self esteem problem” or “dating in the 21st century” (Just pulled those from the air), then you’ll need to do some heavy editing or submit something else.

3. We always look for a diverse mix of stories. In addition, we look for funny essays, sad essays, and everything in between. You don’t have to be a mom to be in a LTYM show. You don’t even have to be a woman! We welcome all stories of motherhood from all people. (Note #1: HUMOR can be so very difficult to write (and read out loud), and every year this is the category in which we have the least number of submissions. If one of your superpowers is writing humorous essays, please consider submitting one! Note #2: By diverse we also mean race, religion, ethnicity, personality type, and every other element under the sun that could provide a story with unique perspective. Check out this post we wrote about angles you can take with your essay if you’re not a mom.)

4. You must be the author and owner of all rights to your piece.(It’s totally fine if it’s been previously published as long as you retain the rights, and you will still hang onto the rights to your piece if selected for the show.)

5. You MUST be available to attend an audition date (February 17-19) and two rehearsal dates (these will be announced when the submission period begins) as well as, obviously, the show date: May 7th from 11-7 (approximately).

6. Submissions will begin on January 13 and end January 31. We CANNOT accept submissions outside of these dates!

Please note that all cities have their own guidelines and if you’re interested in any other show you should check their local website for details, which will be updated according to their own schedules! If you’d like to subscribe to the LTYM National newsletter, click the link in our sidebar.